Damon descended the stairs and went in the kitchen where Stefan was cooking dinner for Melanie. Stefan looked up at him for a minute but went back to his work not intending to have another argument. 

However, he was surprised when Damon himself spoke, "how are things going on here?" 

He thought a little and questioned him instead, "why do you even want to know?" 

Damon stepped right in front of him this causing him to stop working, "I'm not here to do what I threatened you with before. I'm not gonna destroy your lovely town." 

He rolled his eyes, "that's a relief but why are you being so generous?" 

He mumbled, "I changed my mind." 

Stefan dished out the omelette and set things on the table. Afterwards he spoke, "Damon I don't hate you, okay? I don't know about you but I don't. And I have the right to know what's going on in your mind. The reason to why you are here and why have you brought Melanie." 

Damon sighed dismissively, "I don't hate you either. It's pointless." 

He nodded, "it took you seven years to discover that it was pointless the whole time we were apart?" 

Damon faced him, "I am here because of Melanie. I don't feel sorry about kicking you out but I've realized that it wasn't necessary either. Sometimes I do things which I shouldn't have done but I can't change it now. I want you to accept it." 

Stefan however was a bit confused on one aspect of this whole brother to brother talk, "why would you be here because of Melanie?" 

A shadow clouded Damon's eyes as if he was trying to hide his guilt, "I love her, okay? But I can't keep her safe anymore. Not alone. I need you to help me protect her." 

He was confused, "but from whom? Who would try to hurt her anyway?" 

He spoke, "Katherine." He didn't wish for Stefan to know that he himself was a threat to Melanie too. 

Stefan spoke, "what do you mean by Katherine? What happened?" 

He told him about the masquerade and how Katherine tortured Melanie but omitted the fact that Katherine used vervain to torture her. He had not yet decided to tell the true link between him and Melanie because she had forbidden him to. 

Stefan understood and agreed, "I will do my best to protect her. You shouldn't worry anymore." 

A slight smile crossed Damon's features as if he was relieved, "thanks brother." 

Melanie cleared her throat from behind catching their attention, "I must say you two have strange family bonding times together." 

Stefan laughed and Damon joined in as well, "it has been a custom for us Salvatores." 

She shook her head, "yeah right. Fight first, make it up afterwards and live happily as if nothing happened." 

Stefan handed her the plate and served the omelette, "but that's the thing about us. Even though we might not agree with each other always, we still have each other's backs. Anyone insults one of us, all of us feel insulted and we beat the crap out of the opponent who dares to offend us." 

At that sentence Stefan had given him a sincere smile which shook Damon violently. As if all the guilt struck him hard like a slap. He glanced at his younger brother for a second then reverted his gaze back to the floor. 

He never gave up. He never showed feelings. To him, emotions were the greatest weakness. And it was then he realized how cruel he had been. How exactly like his own father. 

"Our father is incapable of human emotions," his own words seemed to taunt him now. He had unknowingly smashed his fist into the wall taking both of them by surprise. 

"Damon are you alright?" Melanie asked. 

He looked at both Stefan and Melanie with a confused look in his eyes and then glanced at his hand which was smashed into the wall. He retrieved his hand and flexed his fingers that healed up quite immediately. 

"Damon," she repeated. 

He shook his head, "no, I'm fine." 

With that he left the house. Both of them glanced at one another in bewilderment. Then Stefan stood up, "I'll go after him. Lock the door and don't let anyone other than us inside. Understand?" 

She only nodded in reply.

Damon had gone to the Cemetery. He was kneeling down by the the tombstone of Lily Salvatore; his mother. He was silently mumbling something as if talking to the grave. As if the soul of his mother was listening to him. 

"I have been so much like my father. I...I have been so terrible. So dreadful. And I never wanted to. Its hurting you, isn't it? But I couldn't stop myself. I don't know why." His head was bowed and his voice was brittle. He was feeling remorse again. And he hated it. 

Suddenly he felt someone sit down beside him and looked up to see Stefan, "it's okay, Damon. Everything will be alright." 

He looked pained and distressed, "I don't even remember what *alright* means anymore. Why can't I have any peace? Today after so many years I felt like everything was healing up. And yet here I am; torn and guilty. I don't hate you. I don't hate anyone. I just hate my own self. I hate myself so much that I've ruined everything now. It's almost like I had shut the switch. Turned off my humanity. Like I don't feel anymore. But I do. And it sucks." 

Stefan spoke, "not everything remains the same. If you had shut it off, you wouldn't be here now. You wouldn't care for Mel." 

He nodded, "I know. And that's what I fear most. I always want to care for her but it scares me that I won't be able to. I can't protect her from myself either. I'm here because of her not because I want to. You think it would be easy for me to see you and Elena together? You think I've moved on? The sad thing is that I couldn't. I couldn't let go of the past. And it haunts me." 

Both of them sat in silence for a while. Then Damon spoke, "do you hate me?" 

Stefan was a bit taken aback, "no. I already told you before. I don't hate you. You're the only family I've got." 

He stood up and so did Stefan. "Let's go home then. Melanie would be worried. And we can't afford to leave her all alone in this town," Damon mumbled. 

On the way home his mood relaxed. As if a burden had lifted off him. 

They were almost at the door when Stefan added, "I missed your pranks though." 

His remark sent a smirk crawling up on Damon's features. He patted his back in brotherly affection, "well be prepared then. Melanie is a more accomplished prankster than I am." 

Stefan shrugged, "wow, double trouble for me then." Both of them laughed. After so many years. 

"You wish," Damon spoke and then embraced Stefan in a brotherly hug shocking him terribly. 

"She was right though. We do have strange family bonding times together," he replied shaking his head with silent laughter.